Unnecessarily Hated
by Gilly-01
Summary: Rachel/Eddie angst set after the end of series 3 - the fire DID NOT happen and it was just the end of the week, not the end of term. Need to know what happened in Series 3 to understand the story...
1. Chapter 1

Pain seared through her as she slowly rolled over onto her front, pushing herself up from the floor. She got to her knees and held one hand to her head, the other still firmly on the floor keeping her balanced. The room was spinning. She was dizzy. Her heart was pounding. She felt her nose begin to trickle and dismissively wiped it with her right hand. She spun herself around slightly so she was facing her desk, holding onto its edges to ease herself up from the ground. She groaned and breathed heavily; shaking uncontrollably as she used the little strength she had left in her to pull herself to a standing position. She reached across the desk to her handbag, gasping in pain, trying not to cry out loud as she moved. Blood stained the edge of her desk where her right hand had been. She was frantic. She had no rational thought. Her only thought was of home. She had to get home. She had to get home now. She tipped the contents of her bag over her desk, some spilling over the edges onto the floor alongside other objects which had been thrown from her desk only an hour or so earlier. She grabbed her car keys and slowly headed towards her office door, pain ripping through her core with each shaky step she took. Her mind was hazy, her vision slightly blurred. She had to get home. She stumbled through the school, holding onto and sliding along walls whenever her lack of balance threatened to end her mission. She made it outside. The school was empty, no cars in the car park except her own. She reached her vehicle and slid into the driver's seat crying out loud as she sat, gripping tightly onto the steering wheel. Her body was throbbing. She started the engine and headed for her sanctuary. Once she was home everything would be fine.

She pulled up outside of her house. Turning off the engine and taking out the keys; she closed her eyes and leant her head against the headrest, her breathing erratic. She reached across to open the door, swinging her legs out of the car and onto the pavement. She pulled herself up and away from the car allowing the door to close behind her. Slowly staggering up her short garden path, she made it to her front door and to the inside of her house. Her home. She needed to shower. She needed to shower and go to sleep. She was so tired. Using all of her might she pulled herself up the staircase, each of the spindles of the banister acting as a climbing aid as she passed. She made it to her bathroom. Leaning heavily against the sink she allowed herself another pause her eyes closed once again. Slowly she looked up and into the mirror which bared her reflection. Her heart stopped.  
"Oh god" she gasped through sporadic breaths.  
Her left eye was black and swollen almost completely shut. Her right eye was bruised and there was a small cut across her right cheek. Her lip was bleeding and slightly swollen on the left and blood was smeared from her nose across her right cheek. She looked down her reflection noticing for the first time that her shirt was completely open. Her neck and chest were scratched and bruises were beginning to form across her stomach and ribs.  
She stumbled back away from the sink, her right hand covering her mouth in shock. Hitting the wall behind her she immediately turned and ran to the toilet vomiting into the bowl. She knelt on her bathroom floor, her chest heaving heavily as she gasped for air. She tried to turn towards the door and raise herself from the floor but tiredness was prevailing. She lowered herself fully to the ground, rolling onto her back, her knees bent to one side and her arms outstretched either side of her aching body. With pain wrenching through her, dizziness and exhaustion had their wicked way, slowly and sucessfully pulling her into a deep, dark unconsciousness.


	2. Chapter 2

Eddie ascended the stairs towards Rachel's office. It was 8.30am and the kids were slowly beginning to trundle into school. He wanted to speak to Rachel before the school day officially started. He felt terrible about what had happened on Friday, it was his fault Stuart had come into the school and revealed Rachel's past to everyone, he just hoped she would be able to come to terms with everyone knowing and continue teaching at Waterloo Road. It wouldn't be easy but she had his full support, she had done so much for the school, it couldn't cope without her… or maybe he couldn't cope without her, he wasn't sure which was more truthful.  
He bumped into Tom at the top of the stairs,  
"Alright Tom?" asked Eddie  
"Yeah good thanks just going in to see Rachel."  
They headed towards the office together.  
"Yeah? What for?"  
"Just about the head of English job she offered me on Friday, I'm not too sure…"  
"You'd be a fool to pass on it mate" returned Eddie, holding the door open for Tom to walk through.  
"Thanks mate. Yeah I know, I'm not going to, it's just… oh my god."  
Tom stopped. They'd reached the entrance to Rachel's office. The pair stood frozen. Her office was trashed. Her lap top was strewn on the floor, the front screen smashed. Papers were lay all over her desk and on the floor, alongside many of her handbags contents. Eddie took two quick strides into the office, his hands thrown up to his head revealing his panic.  
"Oh my god what the hells happened!?"  
He spun back to face Tom who was still stood in the doorway. Eddie turned back round looking down at Rachel's desk.  
"Oh god" he said quietly "there's blood here."  
He immediately took his mobile phone from his jacket pocket and began dialling Rachel's number. Ringing echoed throughout the office, announcing Rachel's mobile was still present and not on her person.  
"Damn it!" demanded Eddie, slamming his phone shut in frustration.  
Tom cleared his throat.  
"Um, Eddie"  
Eddie turned to face him, his face strewn with worry and concern.  
"Um…" Tom faltered, nodding towards something on the floor to the right of Eddie.  
Eddie looked down. Underwear. Black underwear. He felt sick.  
"Oh god no" gasped Eddie, a lump rising in his throat.  
He rushed to the door passed Tom.  
"Where are you going??" Tom yelled chasing after him.  
"To find her!" he shouted heading for the stairs. Tom pursued him.  
"I'll come with you"  
He bumped into Davina, grabbing her by the shoulders he instructed her.  
"Don't let anyone in there!" he pointed towards Rachel's office.  
"What?" questioned Davina, turning to face Tom, but it was too late, he was already down the stairs in hot pursuit of Eddie.  
Davina walked towards Rachel's office, completely confused by Tom and Eddie's panic. She reached the doorway and stopped.  
"Oh god" she said raising her right hand to cover her mouth.


	3. Chapter 3

Eddies car raced through town. Neither the driver nor the passenger spoke a word as they weaved through traffic to Rachel's house. As they entered her street they saw her car. Eddies heart jumped.  
"She's here."  
He quickly pulled in behind Rachel's vehicle and the pair raced to her front door.  
"Rachel!" Eddie screamed as he banged on the door with his fists. Tom was peering through the front window.  
"I can't see her" he informed Eddie, breathless from sheer panic.  
"Rachel!" Eddie yelled again.

Upstairs, only a few feet away from the panic stricken twosome outside of her door, Rachel lay, never stirring.

"Ok stand back" Eddie instructed Tom, moving him aside with his arm. He stepped away from the door, lifted his right leg and kicked forth with all of his might. The door shook. He stepped back again, lifted his leg and lashed out forcefully with his foot. There was a crack. He stepped back again. Holding onto the walls either side of the door for extra support, he raised his leg and lunged forward with every ounce of his being. The door flew from its hinges and Eddie and Tom burst through the frame. Tom ran into the living room before searching the kitchen while Eddie sprinted straight up the stairs. The first room he came to was the bathroom. He saw her.  
"Oh god Rachel" he cried running towards her and kneeling at her side.  
Tom climbed the stairs.  
"Rachel" Eddie whispered, just inches from her face. His voice was shaky, his face was red and his eyes were shining with tears. He raised his hands to her face, millimetres from her flesh but terrified to touch her in case he inflicted anymore pain.  
Tom approached the bathroom door.  
"Oh god no Eddie" he whispered, raising his hands to his head and briefly turning away, not wanting to believe the sight which was before him. He turned back around and knelt by Eddie at Rachel's side.  
"Phone an ambulance please Tom" pleaded Eddie, his voice breaking. Tom nodded and exited the bathroom, pulling out his mobile phone to make the call, his own eyes brimming with tears.  
"Wake up sweetheart" Eddie urged, yearning for her to look up at him. He stroked her hair, his heart breaking as he gently lifted her head, placing his arms underneath her, behind her neck. He cradled her.  
"Please open your eyes Rachel" he begged, tenderly stroking her cheek.  
He felt her stir.  
"Rachel?" Eddie questioned quickly.  
She slowly opened her eyes, wincing as the pain came flooding back to her senses.  
"It's ok, it's ok, it's me Eddie, you're ok" he continued to hold her, longingly looking into her eyes, watching as she tried to focus her vision.  
"Eddie?" She managed to whisper.  
"Yeah, don't worry, I have you, you're going to be fine"  
"The ambulance is on its way" Tom revealed, returning to the bathroom door. Rachel closed her eyes again. The last thing she remembered was feint sirens approaching, before allowing the darkness to envelop her once again.


	4. Chapter 4

Rachel was quickly loaded into the ambulance. Still unconscious, she had been placed upon a stretcher and carried inside the awaiting vehicle. Eddie jumped in after her.  
"Wait, Eddie" Tom interrupted  
"I'm going to go back to the school, wait for the police to arrive and everything"  
Eddies eyes left Rachel momentarily to throw Tom his car keys.  
"Thanks Tom"  
They exchanged concerned smiles before the ambulance doors were closed.

Inside the ambulance Rachel began to stir.  
"Eddie?" she whispered hoarsely, searching for him with her voice, her eyes still closed.  
"I'm right here" he assured her.  
She let her right hand fall from her side and slowly outstretched her fingers in Eddie's direction. Eddie grabbed her hand and held it close to his face without hesitation, gently placing it against his lips.

As Rachel was wheeled through the hospital on the way to a private medical examination unit, she suddenly became fully conscious of her surroundings and her situation.  
"No wait!" she called out, attempting to sit up on the moving bed.  
"Sshhh its ok Rachel" Eddie tried to calm her, stroking her hair back from her face lightly. Rachel shook her head.  
"No, Eddie, I don't want to do this, I want to go home, please Eddie"  
She was panicking. Her heart was pounding. She looked up at Eddie, her eyes pleading. She looked terrified.  
His heart twisted in his chest.  
"I'm so sorry Rachel, we have to do this" he relayed quietly, his voice barely able to convey speech.  
"No, please…" she tried to sit up again and cried out loud as pain shot through her ribs.  
"Just lie back Miss Mason" one of the two young female nurses instructed gently. Rachel fell back onto her bed defeated. Seconds later, her breathing became short and quick, and after three or four breaths, a cry escaped. Her right hand flew up to cover her eyes, quickly followed by her left, hiding her tears. Eddie turned his head, not bearing to see her in so much distress, his own eyes threatening to spill his very own tears. They came to her room.  
"Please sir, you will have to wait here" the young nurse informed politely as Rachel was pulled away from him. He stood back as the double doors closed before him and he watched through the glass as a white curtain was pulled around her bed.

He stepped back and slowly sat himself down in a chair which was attached to the wall outside of the room. He looked to his left. The four other chairs at his side were empty. The whole corridor was empty. He sat forward and let his head fall into his hands. He blew his breath out harshly then sat back and wiped the tears from his eyes, leaning his head back against the white wall behind him.


	5. Chapter 5

Tom exited Eddie's car and headed into the school. He needed some water, he was physically shaking. He walked towards the staff room and spotted Davina heading in his direction.  
"What are you…" he started.  
"Its ok, Bridget is up there… what the hells happened Tom? Where's Rachel? Is she ok?" questioned Davina, clearly concerned.  
Tom shook his head and tried to talk. Words would not come forth. He didn't know what to say.  
"Come on, sit down" Davina instructed, ushering him into the staff room.

"Hiya" greeted Steph, who was stood by the kettle making tea.  
"Cuppa?" she questioned.  
Tom shook his head and sat down. Davina sat by his side, resting her hand on his back in an attempt to offer some comfort. He was clearly shaken.  
"What's wrong?" asked Steph.  
Matt and Jasmine were sat on the sofa opposite Tom and Davina, quietly conversing between themselves. They stopped their conversation and looked towards Tom upon hearing Steph's question. Steph sat down.  
"Tom?" she urghed.  
"Um… its Rachel… she's been attacked." He spoke slowly, looking at Steph.  
"What?" gasped Jasmine, sitting forward closer to Tom.  
Tom cleared his throat, and focused his gaze on Jasmine.  
"Yeah… last night… or this morning, I'm not sure…" He closed his eyes and shook his head, rubbing his temple.  
"Is she ok?" enquired Matt, alarm etched upon his face.  
"I don't know… she was unconscious when we found her… she's at the hospital now"  
"Who's we?" furthered Steph "Where did you find her? Where was she attacked?"  
Tom looked up.  
"Me and Eddie… he's with her now… we came into the school this morning, we were both heading to Rachel's office and we found the place trashed… we drove to her house and found her there…"  
He lowered his head, looking down at the floor.  
"God, you should have seen her… just lying there, beaten and bruised" he continued, his voice shaking.  
"Sshhh, it's ok" offered Davina, rubbing Tom's back, "Rachel's a tough woman, she'll be ok."  
"How did she get home? So it happened in school? Oh god, do you think it could have been one of our kids?" bombarded Steph, looking between Matt and Jasmine, fear registering on all of their faces.  
Tom shrugged his shoulders. He looked up and cleared this throat, attempting to regain his composure.  
"Listen, I want this to stay between us for now, I don't want any of the kids knowing about it… although everyone will soon know something's up when the police arrive… and I don't know if there'll be forensics or what… I dunno how this works…" He began to babble but was interrupted by Matt.  
"Forensics? Why would there be forensics?" he questioned.  
Tom looked directly at him before looking down uncomfortably.  
"Um… Rachel…" he sighed deeply "Rachel was raped."  
"Oh god" cried Jasmine, her hands covering her mouth.  
Davina closed her eyes resting her head against Tom's shoulder. Matt said nothing, but sat open mouthed in shock. He looked over to Steph. Even she, who didn't exactly have an enthusiastic fondness for Rachel, couldn't hide her tears. The five teachers sat in silence, staring into nothingness, overwhelmed by sadness and concern for their colleague… their friend.


	6. Chapter 6

Eddie looked up as one of the nurses exited Rachel's room. She smiled courteously as she passed and returned minutes later with a tray covered by a large sheet of white tissue paper. Eddie's eyes followed her back into Rachel's room and behind the curtain. He leant forward again, his elbows on his knees and his hands clasped.

"What's going on? Where's Miss Mason?" Bolton questioned as he followed the police along the corridor. Tom stretched his arm across the door frame, preventing Bolton and the few other children crowding around the corridor from entering Bridget's area, outside of Rachel's office.  
"Just go to your lesson Bolton" Tom urged, weakly.  
"What's going on Tom?" Mika asked slowly approaching from behind Bolton.  
"Nothing Mika…"  
"It doesn't look like nothing!" Bolton yelled nodding towards the police.  
Tom looked around briefly in the direction of Bolton's indication; he couldn't bring himself to look longer than a second. He returned his attention back to Bolton.  
"Please..." He looked to Mika, his eyes pleading.  
"Come on Bolton" Mika spoke softly, gently pulling him by the arm.  
"Is she ok?" Bolton questioned further as Mika led him towards his stairs, his voice showing concern rather than anger. Tom looked away. He couldn't answer.

He rose to his feet as the curtain surrounding Rachel's bed was opened and pulled to one side. His gaze fell upon her. She was lay down, her arms by her sides. Her head was turned to the left away from the doors through which Eddie could see her. Both nurses approached Eddie outside of the doors.  
"How is she?" He asked, his eyes pleading for them to tell him she was okay and they could go home. The older more senior nurse spoke gently:  
"Do you know of any family we could contact to inform them of Rachel's condition? She doesn't have any next of kin on recent medical documents and she refused to give us any information about her family… she said that you would take care of her?"  
"Yes of course. I will." Eddie spoke without hesitation. "She doesn't have any family… not that I'm aware of… please, how is she?" He questioned again.  
The nurses looked to one another.  
"She's in a lot of pain" the younger nurse started looking at Eddie sympathetically. The older nurse continued:  
"Her cheekbone isn't fractured like I first anticipated. Thankfully, she can see clearly from both eyes, but it will take a couple of weeks for the bruising, and in particular the intense swelling of the left eye, to disperse. Her left shoulder is severely discoloured and slightly swollen, indicative of brief dislocation. She appears to have broken two ribs on her left ribcage – we will however be taking her down to x-ray to confirm this. She again, has severe bruising to her intercostal region so will find deep inhalation painful. She also has bruising to her wrists and inner thighs consistent with being forcibly held. We have also performed an internal exam and our findings confirm forced penetration…"  
Eddie closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. The nurse stopped. As a medic, she was trained to relay this kind of information and had learned to distance herself from the words. She sometimes forgot how difficult they were to hear.  
"Do you want me to continue?" She asked tentatively. Eddie nodded and she continued slowly.  
"There is a lot of bruising and we have had to give Rachel stitches to repair some tearing"  
He winced inwardly at the use of Rachel's name. He wished she hadn't said it. It made everything too real. It meant that this really was Rachel they were describing.  
"She is going to be in a lot of pain and will struggle with fast or long periods of movement for at least a few days. We have given her a strong sedative IV to try and alleviate some pain."  
Eddie nodded, looking through the glass to Rachel.  
"Can I go in?" he asked, his voice shaking.  
"Of course" the younger nurse smiled and kindly opened the door for him, "she will be tired though, her body needs to rest and recover from the shock" she informed.  
Eddie nodded again.  
He took a deep breath and attempted to swallow the lump in his throat before he stepped forward into the hospital room.


	7. Chapter 7

She turned to look at him as he entered the room.  
"Hi" he spoke quietly, raising his hand as a greeting.  
She smiled at him slightly before averting her eyes, clasping her hands together over her stomach.  
He sat down in the large chair on the left of Rachel's hospital bed. He glanced down her arms. The hospital gown she was now wearing had short sleeves, leaving the bruising to her wrists and upper arms fully exposed. He shuddered inwardly at the thought of someone's hands holding her in those places… forcing her… he closed his eyes, shaking the images from his head. He exhaled deeply. Leaning forward, he mimicked Rachel, averting his eyes to the floor and clasping his hands together.

Tom watched as the police drove out of Waterloo Road's front gates. The school was quiet; all of the kids were in class. Tom was glad; he couldn't stand avoiding anymore questions. He looked down to his watch: 11am.  
"What a start to the day eh?" a voice spoke sadly from behind Tom. He turned around. It was Steph. She and Davina had a free lesson and were both now stood before Tom. Tom nodded and the three of them headed off in the direction of the staffroom.

It had been ten minutes and still neither of them had spoken. Eddie cleared his throat nervously:  
"Have they said how long you have to stay here?"  
Rachel shook her head in response.  
"I'm going to wait for my x ray and then I'm going home." Her voice shook slightly as she spoke. Her eyes remained firmly focused on her intertwining fingers.  
"What? Rachel, don't you think… don't you think that you should stay at least one night… let them keep an eye on you… make sure you're ok?" Eddie was gentle, not wanting to push her but his voice was strained as he spoke; he was scared for her and his intonation revealed his fear.  
"I'm fine" stressed Rachel defiantly.  
She looked straight to Eddie: "I want to go home." She turned away again as her chin began to quiver, contradicting her previous statement.  
Sadness overwhelmed Eddie as he watched her revert into her self, take a deep breath and prevent her tears from spilling.

"This is horrendous" snapped Davina, breaking the silence in the staffroom. She leant forward placing the cup of tea Steph had made for her down onto the coffee table in front of her.  
Steph and Tom jumped slightly at Davina's outburst.  
"How a woman can be attacked like that…"Davina continued, disbelief in her voice "she was at work… she was in her office… she… God, she must have been terrified!" She shook her head, her eyes brimming with tears.  
Tom reached across placing his hand on her leg, his head slightly bowed.  
Steph looked across at them nervously:  
"What are we going to do here? At school?" she asked "I mean, will Eddie be acting head for a while?"  
"I dunno" replied Tom looking up, "I don't know what's going to happen."

It felt like an eternity before either of them spoke again.  
"Does anybody know?"  
Eddie looked up.  
"What?"  
"Does anybody know?" Rachel asked again, "know… what's happened… to me?" She bit down lightly on her bottom lip to prevent it from shaking once she had spoken. She turned to look directly at Eddie, their eyes locking and revealing to each other the depth of their fears and sadness.  
Eddie cleared his throat.  
"Tom was with me when we, ah… found you…"  
She closed her eyes and refocused her gaze back to her hands, still clasped before her.  
"That's all I know" Eddie continued, "he may have had to inform some members of staff, I'm sure they would have been asking a load of questions when the police arrived…"  
"Police?" Rachel interrupted looking slightly panicked.  
"Yeah…"  
"Why would…"  
Rachel didn't get to finish her sentence, before, as if on cue, two police officers entered the room.


	8. Chapter 8

"Hi Rachel" the female officer spoke, moving over to stand at the foot of Rachel's bed alongside her male partner, "I know that this is an extremely difficult time for you right now but we need to get some information from you."  
"No, I…" Rachel stuttered, shaking her head, her eyes brimming with tears. She looked to Eddie, her eyes pleading, "I don't want to, please, Eddie" she spoke, barely above a whisper.  
"Look, don't you think this is a bit to soon" Eddie interjected, "cant you give her a couple of days?" he asked, exasperated that they would attempt to interview her so quickly.  
"We are sorry, but the sooner we can get a statement from you, the sooner we can find the person who did this to you" the male policeman offered routinely.  
Rachel shook her head:  
"No, I'm sorry…" She turned away defiantly, refusing to make eye contact with anybody, choosing instead to stare intently out of the window, at nothing in particular, urging her tears not to fall.  
"Ok Rachel" the female officer intervened, "I know it may seem like we're being extremely insensitive right now, we just want find this person… we'll give you a little more time though."  
She looked at Rachel sympathetically before reaching into her pocket and pulling out her contact card.  
"Please, give me a call whenever you need me or whenever you feel like talking."  
She handed the card to Eddie who offered his thanks, and the pair left; each of them offering kindly smiles to both Rachel and Eddie as they exited the door.

Eddie looked at his watch: 3:30pm.  
"God, is that all" he thought to himself, amazed at how long the day had seemed even when so much had happened. He looked to Rachel who was sleeping somewhat contently, due to the drugs being pumped into her via the IV protruding from the vein in her left hand. She'd been down to x ray and it was confirmed, she had broken two of her ribs. The doctors had managed to convince her to have a few hours sleep after they had given her the results, promising she could go home afterwards, although insisting it would be against medical advice.  
"Her life has been changed… possibly indefinitely, in a mere few hours" he thought in disbelief, "will she ever return to normality… is it even possible for someone to return to their everyday lives, return to the person they were, after such an horrific ordeal…"  
He hoped so.  
He rose from his chair and headed for the door, pulling his mobile phone from his pocket as he walked. He called Tom.

The school day was over; Tom was in his car ready to start his drive home with Mika in the seat beside him and Chlo in the back, when his mobile rang. It was Eddie.  
"Hi Tom"  
"Hi Eddie, how's she doing?" Tom asked immediately. Mika glanced around at Chlo.  
"She's not good" replied Eddie, staring at Rachel intently through the glass in the door to her room, "she's sleeping now… the police have been but she refused to talk to them. She wants to go home today as well… I think she just wants to pretend that nothings happened…"  
Tom sighed sadly.  
"I'm sure she'll come round in a couple of days… she wont want to talk to anyone at the minute, I cant even imagine what she's feeling right now."  
Mika turned to Chlo again, confusion and concern plastered on both of their faces.  
"Yeah I hope you're right" Eddie replied, "because if not, the bastard that did this to her will get away with it!"  
"Shh try and keep calm mate" Tom eased, "the last thing Rachel will need right now is everyone flaring up, especially you… just… be there for her." He spoke calmly and sympathetically.  
"Yeah…" Eddie changed the subject, "how's everything on your end?"  
"Fine, don't worry about anything" Tom assured, "I've got my lessons covered and I'll deal with everything as best I can until you get back, there's no hurry."  
"Thanks mate, I really appreciate it"  
"No problem, give me a call if you need anything."  
"Thanks Tom"  
They both hung up. Tom sighed and started the engine running.  
"What's going on Tom" asked Chlo quietly.  
"Nothing…" he replied, "I'll tell you when we get home…" he concluded, heading out of the school gates.


	9. Chapter 9

Eddie walked slowly back into Rachel's hospital room, perching himself down into the same chair on the left of her bed. He watched her chest rise and fall evenly before moving to look intently at her face. Bruises. His eyes moved down her body. More bruises. Cuts. He thought about the injuries hidden under the duvet and his stomach began to turn as anger rose engulfing him and needing to explode over whoever had caused her so much physical and emotional pain. He rocked back heavily in his seat, tapping his fingers with agitation against the side of the chair.  
"No." He stopped himself. "This wont help anybody right now". Taking a deep breath and bringing his hands up to rub his face, he swallowed his anger. He took a few more calming breaths before leaning forward. He gently took hold of Rachel's hand, holding it lightly between both of his own.  
He returned his gaze to her face, watching as she slept soundly.

She had woken at 6.30pm. Eddie had remained at her bedside, his eyes never venturing from the sleeping form before him. She was groggy when she woke and momentarily forgot where she was, looking at Eddie with a confused expression on her face.  
"Hey" Eddie spoke gently, his voice hitting her senses and rousing her back into reality. Everything came flooding back; the attack, the fear, the pain… the embarrassment. She looked away and closed her eyes trying to erase her memories. She opened her eyes again staring straight ahead.  
"I want to go home now."  
Eddie smiled apprehensively, acknowledging Rachel's request. Slowly rising from his chair he headed to the nurse's station to arrange transport home.


	10. Chapter 10

Eddie held the taxi door open for Rachel as she slowly pulled herself from the rear seat of the cab. It was late and it was dark outside. He held out his hand to offer assistance but it was neither acknowledged nor accepted. She was dressed in blue hospital scrubs given to her by one of her nurses; the police had taken her clothes – something which she had expressed annoyance at as she had not given them permission to do so. The nurses had apologised but insisted they had no choice. They reached her front door and Rachel stopped, staring blankly at the broken lock and cracked frame.  
"We had to…" Eddie started to explain quietly. Rachel nodded as she stepped through the door into her house,  
"Yeah…" she cleared her throat, "I need a shower."  
She turned to the stairs; holding onto the wall and banister, she took the first step, closing her eyes and biting her lip to prevent herself from crying out at the pain which shot through her. Eddie saw her falter and hurried to her side, wrapping his right arm around her waist. She reluctantly accepted his help; holding onto his shoulder and leaning back into his right arm, they slowly eased themselves up the stairs.  
"Thank you" she murmured once they had reached the top. She headed along the landing to her bedroom, slowly gathered together her pyjamas and dressing gown and headed back towards her bathroom. Eddie watched her movements constantly, noticing each flinch and expression of pain. His eyes followed her to the bathroom. She entered and turned to close the door, nervously avoiding eye contact with him as she did so. Once alone, she leant back heavily against the door and gave in to the shakes which had been threatening to overtake her body all day. She inhaled frequently and deeply, trying to calm herself. She blew out her breath harshly once tears threatened to fall. She rushed forward to turn on the shower, hoping the rushing water would hide her sounds from Eddie.

Outside the door Eddie heard the shower running. He knew what she was doing and it saddened him. He wanted her to trust him, to know that he would never let her down. Her stubbornness frustrated him but he couldn't help admire her determination. He just hoped that her determination would pull her through this without her stubbornness causing her destruction. He headed downstairs.

She sat on the edge of her bath and harshly wiped away the single tear which had spilled down her right cheek. She took another deep breath, attempting to regain composure, angry at herself for breaking. She pulled down the scrubs she was wearing and stepped out of them before standing to remove her top. She cried out loud as she lifted the shirt over her head, pleased that she had turned the shower on before getting undressed or Eddie would have been in like a shot after hearing her cry. She quickly glanced down at her battered body, noting for the first time her blackened ribs and sporadically spaced bruising. She looked up as once again her chin began to quiver and her composure threatened to crumble. She took another deep breath and stepped under the running water.


	11. Chapter 11

She slowly began the descent downstairs. She was dressed in her pyjamas and dressing gown, her hair wet and wavy. She still felt dirty. She could still feel him... could still smell him... she stopped her train of thoughts, willing them away. She stopped at the bottom of the stairs turning her attention to her broken front door. Eddie had managed to jam it shut and the chain was now in place. It was no longer operable but at least it was secure she thought. Her mind raced with images of Tom and Eddie breaking down her door, of them finding her... like that. She felt sick. She hated that they saw her. She hated that they knew. That everyone would know. She walked along the corridor, holding onto the wall to steady herself. She stopped before she reached the living room door, straightening herself up before she entered into the room where Eddie was sitting. He stood as she entered. He stepped over to her as she reached the couch and moved to help her lower herself into the seat.  
"I'm ok!" she declared, holding her arms up, away from his reach, "I can do it!"  
"Ok" Eddie backed off.  
She moved herself down quickly into the chair, closing her eyes, waiting for the throbbing pain to subside after she had made contact with the cushion.  
"I made you a cup of tea" he offered, indicating to one of the two mugs on the fireplace. He carried one over to her along with her prescribed painkillers. He handed them to her,  
"Here, I thought you might need these, it's been a few hours...."  
"Thank you" she accepted quietly, slightly ashamed at her tiny outburst. She saw in his expression that she had hurt him. She couldn't help it; she didn't want him, or anyone, to think she needed help, that she couldn't cope. She didn't need anyone.


	12. Chapter 12

**Oh god what's he doing?? "Get off! Get off me!!"**  
She woke with a jolt. She was dreaming. When did she fall asleep? She looked across her living room at the clock on the fireplace. It was 11pm; she couldn't have been asleep long. She looked across at the other sofa to Eddie. He was sleeping soundly. He was sat upright, his head lolling over to the left. He will have a bad neck in the morning she thought.  
"Eddie" she spoke softly, "Eddie..."  
He began to stir. He sat upright as Rachel lifted herself from the sofa, her left arm clutching around her ribcage.  
"You should get going" she uttered as she headed to the living room door. She turned to look at him. He stared back somewhat bewildered,  
"I'm not going anywhere."  
She looked at the clock then back to Eddie,  
"But its late, you've got school in the morning, you need to get some proper rest, you'll be knackered."  
"I'm not going to school tomorrow Rachel... I've spoken to Tom, he's got everything covered, you don't need to worry"  
She looked down slightly embarrassed,  
"Um, ok then... I'm going to bed,"  
And with that she left the room. Eddie slumped back into the sofa. He knew if he offered to help her up the stairs she would refuse him. She amazed Eddie in every possible way. She was beaten black and blue, she had been dragged through the most horrific ordeal any woman could face and there she had stood before him, concerned about his wellbeing. She cared so much about everyone around her, offered her help to all those who needed it and then found it so hard to accept any assistance or concern in return. "She doesn't think she deserves it" he thought.


	13. Chapter 13

Rachel lay on her bed. She was curled up on her side as much as her aching ribs would allow. She had been lying for hours. She was so tired but so scared to sleep. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw him. Every time she slowly began to drift into sleep, she felt him; his body pressed heavily against her. Her breathing slowed as against her will, her heavy eyelids began to fall again and sleep began to envelop her...

**Her body slammed to the ground face down when he hit her. She didn't have time to move before his foot connected with her ribs. She cried out loud as he kicked her again. And again. And again. The force of each blow almost lifting her from the ground. She tried to stand but he came at her once more. She screamed as she felt her rib crack and he threw her over onto her back…**

She almost screamed out loud as her eyes flew open. She raised her hand to her face, covering her eyes as her chest heaved rapidly. She sat up - her breathing still erratic, and looked at the clock: 5am. She leaned across her bedside cabinet to the glass of water she had brought to bed with her. Her hand shook as she brought the glass to her lips. She gulped some water down before swinging her legs to the side and sitting upright on the edge of the bed. She reached across the cabinet again to her painkillers. With her shaking hands she opened the plastic bottle taking two from the container and downing them. She put down her glass and stood up. Her body ached for rest but she wouldn't succumb to its need. Instead she picked up her dressing gown and headed to the bathroom.

Downstairs, Eddie stared at the TV as he flicked through the channels. He couldn't sleep. He groaned inwardly at the lack of decent entertainment on television at 5am and resigned to watching a shopping channel. He had been hoping Rachel was getting some much needed rest but his hopes were dashed as he heard movements above him and the shower in the bathroom begin to run.

It was just after 6.30am when Rachel headed downstairs. She was dressed in loose fitting jeans and an oversized Gap hoodie. Her hair was pulled back into a loose ponytail leaving her bruised face fully exposed. She peeked into the living room expecting to see Eddie sleeping but was surprised to find him not only awake, but awake with a cup of tea ready for her.  
"I heard you get out of the shower so thought I would put the kettle on"  
"Thank you" she said as she picked up the tea from the coffee table and sat down, pulling her legs up under her.  
"Did you manage to get any sleep?" asked Eddie.  
He didn't know why he asked, he could tell by her darkened and glazed eyes that she had hardly slept a wink.  
She shrugged and shook her head slightly before taking a sip of her tea.  
"How about you? Did you sleep at all?" She asked without looking at him directly.  
"A little" Eddie lied.  
Rachel turned to the TV whilst Eddie continued to watch her intently. She was sat on the same sofa as him but had pushed herself up into the opposite corner. She was only an arms length away from him but her posture and body language meant that there might as well be a canyon between them. He wanted to rush forward, pull her to him, hold her and tell her everything would be alright, tell her that he would never let anyone hurt her again. He also knew that she would never allow that, not right now anyway; he had to take things at her pace.  
Rachel felt Eddie's eyes bearing into her. She looked at him and he averted his gaze. She looked back to the television. They sat in silence.


	14. Chapter 14

The days rolled by, each of them similar in their monotony and lack of activity. Daytime TV filled in the hours before bedtime where each of them would depart to their separate rooms - Eddie had upgraded from the sofa to the spare room next door to Rachel's. Neither of them had slept much. Rachel had taken sleeping pills the last couple of nights in an attempt to appease her exhausted body but was still waking every hour or so. Whenever Eddie woke he could hear her through the walls, restlessly turning in her bed. She never cried which worried Eddie. Even when she was alone she wasn't allowing herself to breakdown. A few times when he was sure she was asleep, he had crept silently to her bedroom, pushing the door ajar slightly to check she was ok. He had seen her sleeping, her face showing the emotions that her waking form would not convey. He knew the sleeping pills she was taking were clouding her nightmares but he knew as he watched her, that her sleep was anything but peaceful.  
Eddie had left the house briefly the day after Rachel's attack to collect some of his belongings. He'd returned just over an hour later to find her sat in the same position he had left her in, staring blankly ahead.  
It was now Friday and there they were again, each sat on opposite ends of the same sofa. Eddie had made lunch; beans on toast - his specialty he had told Rachel, rousing a polite smile from her. They ate in silence with Jeremy Kyle's voice acting as a buffer. Silence had surrounded them since that Monday. Eddies mind had raced constantly with questions that he dared not ask. She hadn't mentioned that day but the fact that she had willingly accepted his presence for the last four days was enough for him for the time being - he didn't want to push her for answers only to have her force him even further away.  
He looked across to Rachel to see if she was finished her food. She'd eaten half and the rest had just been pushed around her plate. "That's more than yesterday" he thought to himself.  
Rachel stood and cleared both of their plates. She returned to her spot on the sofa and fixed her gaze onto the television.  
There was a knock at the door.  
They exchanged confused glances to one another before Eddie stood to look out of the window.  
"Oh god" he thought upon seeing the uninvited guests. He indicated for them to go around the side of the house to the back door. The front was still jammed shut, he had suggested calling someone out to fit a new one but Rachel had stressed she wasn't exactly in the mood for strangers in the house. He conceded.  
The back door opened.


	15. Chapter 15

Eddie walked into the kitchen,  
"Hello"  
"Hi Mr Lawson"  
Eddie indicated for them to follow him into the living room where Rachel was waiting expectantly. Her face dropped when she recognised the police from the hospital.  
"Please take a seat" Eddie instructed politely.  
Rachel glared at him for being so welcoming. The officers sat; the female alongside Rachel and the male on the other sofa by Eddie. Rachel pulled away, pushing herself into the arm of the sofa, creating as much distance between herself and the WPC as possible.  
"How are you feeling Rachel?" The female officer queried. Rachel didn't respond. She looked between both officers waiting for an explanation, genuinely perplexed as to why they would chose to bother her again. The WPC continued,  
"We need to get a statement from you Rachel"  
Rachel looked to her.  
"I know this is difficult for you... but we need to investigate this..." she furthered slowly.  
Rachel looked down, concentrating on controlling her breathing before she could respond.  
"I told you I don't want to do this I'm sorry" she looked back to the WPC, her eyes beginning to betray her blank exterior. The male officer interrupted,  
"Rachel, this might seem all too soon for you, but we have a job to do. An outline of the events which occurred on Monday morning would be extremely helpful but it is not essential to our investigation."  
Rachel looked to him confused. He continued;  
"If we have to, we can go to the hospital and retrieve the results of your rape exam."  
Eddie looked to Rachel. Her exterior was slowly crumbling and her eyes were brimming with tears.  
"You can't do that... if I don't want to press charges... you can't do that, not without my permission" She looked to Eddie "That information is confidential?" She disguised her question as a statement. Eddie nodded and looked to the officer.  
"We can issue a warrant and get whatever information we need from the hospital, with or without your permission."  
"Rachel - " Eddie spoke gently,  
"- no" Rachel interrupted, raising from her seat, "I told you, I don't want to do this, just leave it... its ok... everything is ok... just leave it" she was panicking.  
The male officer stood and continued, his voice raised slightly.  
"There is a known sex attacker on the street and while he is out there, other women are at risk." Rachel backed away from him.  
"Now we need to ensure that he cannot target anyone else... do you understand? Do you want him to attack another woman?"  
The WPC looked to the male officer angrily, riled by his lack of tact and sensitivity. Rachel looked at him, shocked and slightly nervous of his anger towards her.  
"Do you?" He stressed again.  
Rachel looked directly at him;  
"He wont do this again" she spoke slowly and as confidently as she could.  
The three bystanders looked at her, taken aback at her statement.  
"How do you know that?" the male officer pushed.  
"Rachel, do you know the person who did this to you?" the WPC asked gently.  
"Is that why you don't want to co-operate with us?" the man questioned again.  
Rachel looked to Eddie, their eyes locking; she saw his concern and his care. He saw her fear.  
"I'm sorry" she whispered, before turning on her heel and leaving the living room to head upstairs.  
The officers looked to Eddie who shrugged his shoulders defeatingly.  
"Let's get to the hospital" the male officer growled before heading to the kitchen. The WPC looked to Eddie and smiled sympathetically,  
"Thank you Mr Lawson"  
He nodded and returned the smile.


	16. Chapter 16

Eddie climbed the stairs and headed towards Rachel's bedroom. Her door was open. He saw her; lay on the bed, her back to him, curled up on her side.  
"Rachel?"  
She sniffed and he knew she was crying.  
"Can you leave me alone… please?" she asked gently  
He backed out of the doorway dejected, closing the door as he moved.

**She felt the severe pressure on her wrists as they were pinned above her head by his one large hand. She felt his other hand tear at her shirt and explore her exposed body. She struggled against him, writhing underneath him to throw him off of her. He laughed as his excitement grew. She screamed. She screamed at him and at nothing, pleading for someone to help her. Her head whipped to the right as his fist connected with her face. She tried to ignore the dizziness which overwhelmed her and continued to struggle against him. She begged him to stop as his hand moved up her thigh, pushing her skirt up around her waist. She pleaded with him as he tore at her underwear. She screamed as he entered her. **

Eddie heard her screaming through the walls. He leaped from his bed and bounded to her room.  
"Jesus" he panted as he saw her. She was halfway down her bed, her arms above her head, crying and fighting against an invisible assassin.  
He ran towards her, climbing onto the bed and kneeling over her.  
"Rachel" he yelled, grabbing her arms from above her head and pulling them down by her side.  
"Rachel! Its ok its ok! Wake up!" He yelled trying to rouse her from her nightmare.  
He reached behind her neck and shoulders and pulled her towards him. Her eyes flew open as he pulled her close.  
"No!" she screamed, thrashing against him. He let her go. She continued thrashing, trying to pull herself from underneath him.  
"Stop it… please… stop it… let me go!" she yelled between ragged breaths, pounding her fists against him.  
"Rachel it's me, its ok!" he yelled over her screams, backing away from her slightly so she could free herself. She pulled herself to the top of the bed in a frenzy.  
"Rachel!" he yelled again, gesturing towards himself "it's me! It's Eddie!"  
She looked at him directly for the first time and he saw the cloud in her eyes clear.  
"Oh god" she exhaled through ravaged breaths, perspiration sparkling on her face. He moved towards her slowly.  
"It's ok… you're ok" he spoke gently, looking into her eyes deliberately to enforce his point. She stared back at him, wanting to believe him. He moved to her side wrapping his arms around her shoulders. She fell into him, enveloping her arms around his waist and he held her as teary breaths wracked through her shaking body.

He continued to hold her as her breathing slowed and her shaking began to subside.  
"You're ok… you're ok…" he soothed, placing a soft kiss on the top of her head. She shook her head slightly, her eyes filling with tears,  
"I just want this all to go away" she whispered, her voice breaking.


	17. Chapter 17

Eddie woke alone at 9am. He looked around the room taking in his surroundings before memories of the nights events came flooding back to him. He heard the shower running in the bathroom and surmised that must be where Rachel was. They'd fallen asleep against the headboard last night, still wrapped in each others arms. He pulled himself down the bed so he was lying flat. He closed his eyes and ran his fingers through his hair as the images of Rachel's terror came into his minds eye. He shuddered at the sound of her screams. It had almost been a week since the attack now but she had relived the entire event last night… and he had been witness.

Steam spiraled within the four walls of the bathroom. Rachel stood under the water, the hot droplets falling down her tired body. Her left eye was no longer swollen but was still blackened along with her cheekbone. The swelling and bruising to her shoulder had almost dispersed fully and her wrists and legs showed only slight evidence of the force which had been used against them. The nasty shades of green, brown and blue spread across her torso, however, still revealed the severity of her attack. She scrubbed herself excessively as she began to weep quietly, her tears blending with water which ran down her face. Her night terror had brought everything to the forefront again. She could have sworn he was in the room with her last night. When she had woken, it wasn't Eddie's presence she had felt, it was HIS. She just wanted to forget about everything. To lose herself. To lose reality. But how could she when he can haunt her dreams? She stopped scrubbing, her skin red raw. She stood under the running water, allowing it to envelop and cleanse her before slowly following the waters trail and sliding down the tiled wall behind her. She sat, her legs curled towards her chest as the water descended upon her. She hugged her legs, resting her head against her knees and she cried. She cried for the person she once was. She cried because she thought that person was lost forever.


	18. Chapter 18

She headed to the bedroom, her movements delicate. She had hurt herself during her struggle last night, knocking her ribs and causing further bruising. She sat on the edge of her bed, downing two of her painkillers before attempting to regain some composure and head downstairs to the living room where Eddie was now waiting.

He looked up as she entered the room, smiling the most genuine smile he could muster. She returned the gesture, neither of their smiles reaching their eyes. He watched her as she gingerly lowered herself onto the sofa beside him. Noticing her cautious breathing he realised she must have caused further damage to her ribcage during her night terror.  
"How are you feeling?" he asked.  
"I'm ok" she looked towards him, smiling for a second before quickly averting her gaze.  
"I'm sorry about last night" she spoke quietly.  
Eddie turned to look at her quickly,  
"What? Don't apologise Rachel. You've got nothing to be sorry about!"  
She averted her eyes again.  
"Hey…" whispered Eddie, moving towards her and taking her hands in his.  
She looked at him nervously, raising from the sofa, sliding her hands from his grip. His eyes followed her movements.  
"Do you want tea?" she asked her voice higher than usual in an attempt to appear none nonplussed. Eddie didn't have time to answer before she left the room.  
He sat back in his seat, exasperated.


	19. Chapter 19

The days passed quickly and before either of them knew it, it was the weekend again.  
Rachel looked at the digital clock on her bedside table; 7:02am. She sighed and rolled over onto her back, staring up at the ceiling. "It's been 12 days".  
She closed her eyes with a shudder. She was almost pulled into a disturbing daydream before being roused by a strange noise. She opened her eyes and smiled slightly at the sound of Eddie snoring in the next room. She was scared to admit it but she liked having him there. She liked him. The past few days had almost seemed normal. Eddie had convinced Rachel to go for a walk on a couple of occasions; nothing major, just a stroll to the shops and through the park. She had protested to begin with but admitted afterwards that she was glad to get out of the house. They had talked as they walked. Not about her attack, or the police, or… anything really, they'd just chatted. It was nice. She'd linked him as they walked; she didn't even realise she had done so until they got home. Anyone watching might have assumed them to be a regular, normal couple.  
She was again roused as she heard Eddie leave his room and head to the bathroom. She cursed herself for enjoying his presence. She knew she shouldn't get used to it. He wouldn't be there forever.  
"How long will he be staying for?" she thought to herself.  
Suddenly her mind flipped and began to race, what if he doesn't want to stay? What if he feels like he doesn't have a choice? She had told the doctors at the hospital that Eddie would look after her… she had only said that at the time, so they would let her leave… what if he felt duty bound to stay?  
She arose from bed, pulled her dressing gown around her body tightly and headed downstairs.

In the shower Eddie's mind wandered. "I can't believe it's been 12 days". On one hand the attack seemed so fresh and yet on the other hand, his last day of teaching seemed like a lifetime ago now. Standing in the school hall, face to face with Stuart Hordley almost seemed like a distant memory… Hordley… he hadn't really been far from Eddie's mind. He hated him. He hated him for what he had done to Rachel, he hated him for the blackmail and the lies, but he hated him most of all for him being the one to cause Rachel to look so shattered as her hidden past was revealed in such a spiteful and vindictive way. He had told the police about him. For Eddie, Stuart was prime suspect, the only person Eddie could think of who had a grudge against Rachel - however unnecessary. He had gotten it wrong though. The police had spoken to Stuart. Stuart had cooperated. He had willingly given a DNA sample and he had been vindicated. It was no match to the semen found on Rachel when she was first brought into the hospital. In fact, there was no match for the semen on the police database whatsoever, leaving the investigation at a near standstill. This was a first offense, this man - and Eddie used the term loosely, had chosen Rachel as his first victim. That, or other women who have fallen victim to his aggression, have also been too ashamed to report his crime. He sighed heavily, vigorously rubbing Rachel's apple shampoo into his hair, willing his thoughts to clear and choosing to focus instead, on the last few days. He laughed inwardly to himself upon the realisation that he had enjoyed moments. He'd enjoyed Rachel starting to show signs of her old self. She was eating again, she had chatted to him… she had even laughed out loud when he tripped over on their second walk. Once darkness fell and they departed to their separate rooms however, he would hear her tossing and turning. She was still dreaming. He would watch her to make sure they weren't getting too bad and he had to wake her on a couple of occasions, but for the most part, he had let her sleep through them. During the day she was trying to forget about everything. He hoped her dreams would force her to face up to what had happened.  
He stepped out of the shower, before getting dressed for the day and heading downstairs.


	20. Chapter 20

Eddie drove through the school gates. It was exactly two weeks since Rachel's attack now. He didn't particularly want to be back at school; he wanted to be with her, to be there if she needed him. Rachel had insisted though. She frustrated Eddie sometimes. Just when he thought they were getting somewhere and she was opening up to him, she would slam shut any access he had to her and push him away. Not just with the attack… with everything… he never seemed to be able to get the full story out of her. Like when he found out about her past… he still didn't know how or why she had gotten into prostitution. He had asked her, on many occasions… she just told him to leave it, to forget about it… then she would change the subject and move on. "She's doing the exact same thing now" he thought, rather than face up to something, she runs away, she pretends that it hasn't happened. He knew that the reason she hid her past was because she was ashamed of it… but surely that can't be why she is trying to hide from her rape… she has nothing to be ashamed of. He mind was snapped back into reality as he bumped into Steph and Maxine, heading into the schools main entrance.  
"Eddie!" exclaimed Steph, surprised to see him, "I didn't realise you were back today?"  
"No neither did I, not until Saturday" he replied, "I spoke to Tom over the weekend and told him I would be back."  
"How's Rachel doing?" she asked.  
Eddie looked down to Maxine who was looking up at him expectantly. He looked back to Steph.  
"You, get into school" ushered Steph, pushing Maxine gently through the school entrance. Maxine sighed and did as she was told.  
Eddie smiled to Steph thankfully.  
"She knows Eddie… they all know" she told him, genuinely sorry for having to do so.  
"Come on" she spoke again, linking his arm and leading him to the staff room.

"Here you go" said Steph as she handed Eddie his tea. She sat down opposite him.  
"How are you doing Eddie?" she asked, "Because you look like crap"  
Eddie laughed tiredly,  
"Thanks Steph"  
She smiled.  
"I feel like crap to be honest"  
"Then why are you back? I thought you would be off for at least a couple more weeks yet… is Rachel ok being alone?"  
Eddie shrugged his shoulders.  
"I'm not entirely sure how Rachel is feeling at all at the minute… she said I should come back though… so here I am."  
Steph looked at him compassionately, not speaking to allow him to continue if he needed. He did:  
"I just don't know what I can do… I mean, everything is just a mess" his voice quivered slightly as he spoke which shocked Eddie slightly. He hadn't realised how much everything was getting to him.  
He looked down at the cup in his hands as he spoke:  
"She won't talk to me, she won't talk to the police… she just wants to brush everything under the carpet." He paused for a second before continuing, "She knows who did it."  
He looked up to Steph to gage her reaction. He thought she would be shocked to find that the culprit was someone known to Rachel. Instead, she shrugged her shoulders,  
"Most people do"  
Eddie looked at her quizzically.  
"Most victims of rape" Steph explained, "know their attacker."  
Eddie looked back down,  
"She's just not letting me in; she won't talk to me about it"  
"Of course she won't Eddie" Steph spoke matter-of-factly, "She's embarrassed."  
"What?" Eddie looked at her in disbelief.  
Steph put down her own cup of tea and leant forward closer to Eddie.  
"Eddie, Rachel is a private person. Sex is something which is personal… private… now, without Rachel's consent, someone has forced themselves on her, and then, without her permission, people have come in, tearing her private world apart and exposing it all… past and present… to everyone around her."  
Eddie stared at her intently, her words making perfect sense.  
"Her past was obviously something she was ashamed of…" Steph continued "and although, I may have rejoiced in finding out this information for a minute or so" she added cheekily, "it devastated Rachel… we could all see it… and now this on top! Maybe she just doesn't want to open herself to further discussion."  
The pair jumped as the staffroom door opened and teachers flocked in. Eddie looked at his watch; first lesson was over already.  
"God is that the time, I better get to the office… thanks Steph" he said, looking directly at her to convey his appreciation. It felt good to be able to talk… even if it was to Steph Haydock he laughed to himself. He turned and headed out of the staffroom as Steph watched after him thoughtfully.


	21. Chapter 21

Eddie headed towards Rachel's office where he was met by Rachel's busy secretary.  
"Hi Bridget" Eddie uttered quietly as he passed her slowly. She spun around to face him.  
"Eddie!" she exclaimed, a genuine smile fixed on her face.  
"You're back? Is Rachel with you?" she asked, looking back at the door to see if Rachel was following.  
"No, erm, she's not, no"  
"Oh" the smile left Bridget's face, "how is she?"  
Eddie shrugged his shoulders:  
"As expected I suppose"  
Bridget nodded and Eddie took another step towards the office door.  
"Tell her I'm asking after her, wont you?" Bridget injected. Eddie turned to face her again. "This place isn't the same without her… besides, I miss our morning natters" she concluded with a slight laugh. Eddie smiled and nodded.  
"I will…. thanks Bridget"  
He entered the office closing the door behind him. He looked around the room remembering how the place looked the last time he had been there. He closed his eyes for a second trying to shake the images from his mind. The blood. The obvious signs of a struggle. The underwear. He shook his head and sat down behind Rachel's desk; taking a deep breath before pulling out his lap top and delving straight into work.

Rachel sat in her usual seat on her sofa. She was looking at the TV but her mind was elsewhere. She looked at the clock on her mantelpiece; it was almost midday. "Only another 4 hours to go" she thought before scolding herself for yearning Eddie's return. She nervously rose from her seat and walked to the newly installed front door. She checked the locks and ensured that the chain was in place – for the fourth time that morning. She quickly peeked through the peep hole before heading to the back door to do the same routine. Once satisfied that she was safely locked inside, she resumed her position on the sofa, glancing at the clock again.


	22. Chapter 22

The bell echoed loudly throughout the school. Eddie looked up from his laptop and checked his watch;  
"12.45 already…God" he thought "all I've managed to do is reply to a few emails!"  
His mind kept drifting to Rachel. He had wanted to call her, to check she was ok but thought better of it. She had told him that he can't babysit her forever and she was right. He loved being with her, even under these most heinous circumstances, but he didn't want her to come to depend on him completely. He wanted the old Rachel back. The strong, feisty woman he knew only two weeks earlier. As hard as it was for both of them, he knew that she had to face being alone on occasions.

Eddie trundled through the crowds of students, sandwiches in hand, on his way to the staffroom. He was preparing himself mentally for the barrage of questions he knew would be thrown at him by his colleagues, when his thoughts were interrupted;  
"Sir…"  
Eddie spun round;  
"Yeah?" he asked looking between Bolton and Paul. The boys looked to each other nervously before Bolton spoke up;  
"How's Miss Mason doing?"  
"She's alright, yeah" Eddie smiled slightly, trying, somewhat successfully, to look and sound positive.  
"When's she coming back?" asked Paul, looking to Eddie intently for an answer.  
"I'm not sure" he returned truthfully, "she's probably enjoying the peace and quiet away from you lot!" Eddie bantered.  
Paul laughed slightly, looking down at his feet whilst Bolton's eyes remained firmly fixed on Eddie. Eddie looked to him, ashamedly;  
"Anyway, I'm starving… I'll catch up with you boys soon" he tried to turn on his heel and took a couple of steps towards the staffroom door.  
"Sir" Bolton interrupted his journey again. Eddie turned towards him once more and Bolton moved forward, closing the gap between the pair. He spoke quietly to Eddie;  
"Tell her… tell her that she has to come back yeah?"  
Eddie looked directly at Bolton, surprised and slightly overwhelmed by the emotion written across the teens face. He nodded.  
"And tell her…" Bolton looked down searching for words, he sighed, "I know she'll be ashamed right, but tell her that she doesn't have to be… we all make mistakes… at least she learnt from hers… and she's helped me learn from mine." He looked up again to face Eddie's sad eyes directly;  
"And the other stuff…" he looked away again "what happened… in there" he nodded his head back towards Rachel's office despondently, "Tell her to be strong yeah? And to stand up for herself, we need her here."  
Eddie's throat constricted as he tried desperately to control his emotions. He nodded, knowing that no words would escape his lips. Bolton turned slowly and rejoined his friend. Eddie's eyes slowly clouded over with tears, his body completely taken aback by his student's compassion; he watched them walk away.


	23. Chapter 23

Eddie headed back to Rachel's office after lunch. The staffroom had been rather quiet which pleased Eddie. Most colleagues passed on their thoughts and well wishes to Rachel which he insisted he would pass on to her. Others just ignored him, something which he found himself to be quite grateful of – No questions to answer.  
He sighed deeply as he opened the office door and stopped in his tracks as he saw Nigel Hinchcliff sat in front of Rachel's desk.  
"Nigel?" Eddie questioned.  
Nigel stood as Eddie approached him.  
"Nice to have you back Eddie" replied Nigel, extending his hand which Eddie shook.  
"I called this morning, Bridget told me you were back so I thought I would come down and see how you were doing… I hope you don't mind?" he asked cautiously.  
"No of course not" assured Eddie, walking behind the desk and sitting, ushering for Nigel to do the same.  
An awkward silence ensued.  
"… so lots of work for you to catch up on now that your back?" Nigel asked apprehensively.  
"A little, not as bad as I imagined though, Tom's been doing a really good job while we've been away… I know it can't have been easy for him."  
Nigel nodded. The silence followed once again.  
"So… how's Rachel doing?" Nigel asked eventually.  
Eddie sat forward,  
"She's… well she's as expected, I presume… I mean, I dunno how she's supposed to be right now… I don't think she does either to be honest."  
Nigel nodded sympathetically,  
"How's the investigation going? Have the police got any leads yet?"  
Eddie sighed,  
"The investigations pretty much at a standstill at the minute"  
Nigel looked to him confused. Eddie continued,  
"Rachel's not exactly being co-operative with the police at the moment… its understandable though, she just needs time." Eddie added trying to convince Nigel that Rachel wasn't acting completely unforthcoming to the police.  
Nigel shook his head confusingly,  
"I thought she would be doing everything possible to catch this person?"  
"She will" Eddie replied sounding assured… although he admitted to himself deep down that he wasn't entirely sure that she would.  
"But she hasn't told the police anything yet?"  
Eddie shrugged his shoulders,  
"Like I said, she just needs time."  
Nigel nodded,  
"Well, pass on my well wishes" he smiled rising from his seat, Eddie copied his movements and walked with Nigel to the office door.  
"And tell her…" Nigel continued "just incase she has any concerns about her position as head at Waterloo Road in regards to her 'friends' little revelations about her past… tell she has nothing to worry about. She's an excellent head and her job will be here waiting for her return, whenever that may be."  
Eddie nodded and smiled thankfully, watching as Nigel departed. He returned to his chair, sighing deeply again before leaning forward resting his head in his hands.


	24. Chapter 24

Rachel jumped as she heard a key turn in the lock of her door. Quickly realizing it was Eddie she relaxed. He came into the living room where Rachel was sitting; she greeted him with a smile.  
"Hey" he spoke warmly, leaning down and placing a kiss on her cheek.  
"Hi" she returned, smiling up at him.  
"How have you been?" he asked as he took off his jacket, throwing it over onto the other sofa and sitting down beside Rachel.  
"Ok" she replied quietly, shrugging her shoulders, not wanting to reveal to him that she had only released the chain from the door minutes earlier after guessing the time he would be due home perfectly. She didn't want him to know how scared she had been at every noise she heard outside or every creak she heard around the house. She was glad he was home and she cursed herself for it. It scared her that she needed him. "How about you?" she asked reverting the line of questioning away from herself quickly.  
"It was alright" he replied nonchalantly.  
She nodded and went to rise from the sofa.  
"A lot people were asking after you" Eddie continued forcing Rachel to remain seated. She looked at him directly;  
"Who?"  
"Staff, students… Steph actually, was the first person."  
"Steph?" Rachel scoffed, "I'm sure she was only talking to you to find out some gossip… and to rub salt in the wounds over, over Stuarts revelation" she ended in almost a whisper, averting her gaze to the floor.  
"Far from it actually" he responded, drawing her gaze back up from the carpet, "she was genuinely concerned… everyone was, the staff all send their love and support."  
Rachel licked her lips and looked away again. Eddie watched her as she contemplated her colleague's affections.  
"I don't want them to have to though" she whispered in response, her voice hoarse.  
Eddie moved closer to her,  
"What do you mean?"  
"They shouldn't have to send their support" she almost shouted, "They shouldn't know about this!"  
Eddie put his arm around her and was relieved when she fell into his embrace, allowing him to offer her comfort.  
"No Rachel, THIS shouldn't have happened." As he held her, he replayed her words; "They shouldn't know about this". Why does her emphasis lie on people knowing about what has happened to her, rather than on what has actually happened. Steph was right, she is embarrassed. He had to let her know she had no reason to be, she still warranted respect, regardless of her past or her present state.  
"Nigel paid me a visit too" he spoke quietly.  
Rachel pulled away from Eddie slowly,  
"Really?" she questioned, looking at him with a mixture or emotions, "What did he say?"  
"He was just asking how you were… he said to tell you that you have no reason to worry about your position in the school" he offered assuringly.  
Rachel expression changed, she looked at him deeply. Eddie, not for the first time, couldn't gage Rachel's thoughts. She looked away, shaking her head slightly.  
"I'll get a start on tea" she spoke quietly, smiling at Eddie and rising from the sofa. He watched her exit the room.

Rachel closed the kitchen door behind her. Her legs were shaking as she lowered herself into a seat at the table in the middle of the room. She rested her head in her hands. She hated this. She hated everything about it. She felt exposed… open to abuse and disrespect. She felt like Amanda again.


	25. Chapter 25

Rachel lay on her back staring at the ceiling above her bed. Her mind was reeling. She didn't know what to think anymore. She didn't know how to think. How to feel. Her world was upside down. She didn't know her own thoughts; which were reasonable? Which were un-comprehendible?  
"Everyone's talking about me… they all know I deserved it… I don't care what they've said to Eddie – if they have said that at all… maybe he's only saying those words to me to try and make me feel better… how could they possibly send their love? How could they possibly feel anything but disgust towards me after what they know now?"  
The tears in her eyes threatened to overspill as her breath caught in her throat. She pulled her arms up around her head and rolled over onto her side, her forearms covering her face. She cried. Softly, she cried. Slowly, she fell asleep.

**His body pushed down on top of her. His face inches from hers,  
"Come on Amanda, don't pretend to be all prudish with me now! Your secrets out, we all know you're a whore so lets not pretend that you're anything but! Just get this over and done with, and you can go back to being Miss Rachel Mason."  
"No please…stop" Her speech was wracked with tears. Breath fought its way through her throat as pain savaged its way through her evidently broken ribs. He quickly grabbed at her face, his thumb and forefinger dug into her cheeks as he squeezed. She winced, crying out again and trying to pull herself away. He held her tightly forcing her to look at him as he moved his face even closer to her.  
"We both know why this is happening."  
She could feel his breath against her skin.  
"Don't we?"  
She shook her head.  
"You actually think you deserve more than this?" he screamed at her, genuinely perplexed and concerned by her response.  
"You spent years on your back with your legs in the air for money" he looked deep into her eyes, "and now you think you deserve respect… you think you deserve to be loved… you're dirty. You will NEVER be worth more than this."  
He pulled her hands above her head, pinning them to the ground. **

Eddie heard muffled cries through the wall.  
"She's dreaming again" he thought to himself. He quietly left his bed and crept along the hallway to Rachel's door, pushing it ajar slightly so he could see her. His heart broke as he saw her wrecked sleeping form.  
Eddie jumped as suddenly she gasped out loud, opening her eyes and sitting upright clutching at her chest and gasping for breath. He quickly moved towards her, climbing onto the bed beside her as she began to breakdown. She covered her face with her hands embarrassed only for Eddie to pull them back down. She had no reason to be embarrassed. He pulled her towards him and he held her as they both sat upright in the middle of her double bed. He stroked her hair as she sobbed against him. He soothed her as she released her anguish.

They sat together, Rachel wrapped in Eddies arms for a short while. Neither of them knew exactly for how long. She didn't pull away as she whispered, her voice strained from crying,  
"Do you think I deserved it?"  
He pulled away, turning to look at her disbelievingly, shocked at her words. He looked into her eyes and realised she was deadly serious. He fought back tears as he responded, looking directly at her to ensure she understood his words,  
"No Rachel. You did not deserve this."  
He looked at her incredulously, shaking his head,  
"Why would you think…"  
She shrugged her shoulders. He looked down at her. He noticed her frail form. He noted her eyes were tired, lifeless. He saw that she was breaking inside.  
He listened closely as she responded,  
"How could I expect him to accept that I am saying no to him… when I have worked as… when I've let other people…" Her voice began to quiver as her eyes threatened to spill again. He held her face gently in his palms, forcing her sad eyes to look at him.  
"Because Rachel. You. Said. No. He beat you. He held you down. And he raped you."  
She shook her head, her face crumbling as she pulled away from him. He held her face softly again, refusing to let her back away now.  
"Nobody deserves that."  
She fell into his arms once more.


	26. Chapter 26

Rachel was in her kitchen making herself a cup of tea. She looked at the clock above her kitchen counter which indicated Eddie would be having lunch at school at that exact moment. Her head turned to the front door as she heard her letterbox go. She stopped still and then jumped as it knocked again.  
Slowly she approached the door, stopping before it to peer through the peep hole. She pulled away again, confused. She opened the door.  
"Steph?"  
"Hi Rachel"  
Rachel's confusion was obvious as Steph looked to her awkwardly,  
"Can I come in?"  
Rachel paused apprehensively, before stepping aside to allow Steph entrance into her home, indicating towards the living room.  
"Um I've just made tea… I'll make you a cup" Rachel offered heading into the kitchen as Steph stood in the doorway of the living room.

"Thanks" said Steph, reaching from her seat to collect the cup Rachel was handing to her.  
Rachel sat down on the sofa across from Steph, pulling her feet up under her and taking a sip of her tea before putting her cup down on the floor.  
She looked to Steph expectantly.  
"I bet I'm the last person you expected to see eh?" Steph chortled.  
Rachel continued to look at her nervously. Steph, sensing Rachel's unease, sat forward, placing her tea on the coaster to the side of the sofa.  
"Look" she scratched at her head fidgeting, "I just wanted to see how you were?"  
Rachel nodded, attempting to look assertive,  
"I'm good. I'm fine, yeah"  
Steph looked at her unconvinced.  
"Rachel."  
"What Steph?" She responded harshly.  
Steph continued to look at her disbelievingly.  
"What?" Rachel continued, "You want all the gory details to pass onto everyone at work? You want a bit of good gossip?"  
Steph shook her head, slightly hurt and offended,  
"No… Rachel, it's not like that… I just wanted to… I've been talking to Eddie and he's concerned and – "  
"Oh so he sent you round?"  
"No –"  
"How dare he!" Rachel yelled, standing up from the sofa and pulling her hands up to her hair angrily.  
"He hasn't!" Steph yelled back defensively, standing to move in front of Rachel.  
"All had a laugh at my expense have you?" she spat  
"No, Rachel – "  
"Look Steph" Rachel snapped, "Just go"  
"Rachel!" Steph yelled again, desperate for Rachel to listen "Eddie hasn't sent me around, he doesn't even know that I'm here! "  
Rachel glared at Steph, breathing heavily and angrily.  
Steph waited for a second before continuing calmly,  
"I came to see you… because, I want to help you"  
Rachel scoffed and rolled her eyes.  
"Just get out Steph"  
"No you don't understand" Steph tried to explain, "I wanted to see you and to let you know… to let you know that, that I know what you're going through!"  
Rachel's expression changed slightly as she continued to stare at Steph. She tried to read her colleagues features as she slowly gathered together her own thoughts.  
"What?" Rachel retorted, still somewhat angrily.  
Steph nodded, keeping eye contact with Rachel to convey her own comprehension.  
"I know."


	27. Chapter 27

The pair had returned to their seats. Neither of them spoke. Steph watched intently as Rachel eyes remained fixed to a spot on the floor, gathering together the swarm of thoughts, images and questions racing through her mind. She looked up towards Steph, shaking her head sadly,  
"What happened?"  
"I was at university" Steph informed confidently, "it was my final year – well it was supposed to be, I was studying for my PGCE" she paused taking a deep breath, "and one of my lecturers followed me home one night."  
Rachel's eyes swam with tears; she nodded urging Steph to continue.  
Steph looked directly at her, smiling sympathetically,  
"He raped me Rachel"  
Rachel turned her head, her chin quivering as the tears continued to rise and eventually a single tear spilled over. She wiped her cheek.  
"How did you… I mean, how… how are you ok now?" her voice shook as she spoke. Her eyes bore into Steph's. Steph's stomach constricted as she saw her teenage self reflected in the woman before her. She watched as the once strong, solid Rachel Mason tugged at the sleeves of her jumper, pulling them over her hands, using the material to quickly and self-consciously wipe at the tears on her face. She watched as her body shook. She watched as her body shook with the images, the scents, the feelings, which were being evoked by another woman's reveal of her own plight with the same attack. She saw the pleading in her eyes, the hope that Steph was going to give her the answers she needed to move on. Steph spoke:  
"I faced it."  
Rachel turned away.  
"And you have to too Rachel."  
Rachel shook her head,  
"I have faced it, I am facing it" She looked to Steph, "and now I want to forget about it… how do I forget about it?" she begged.  
Steph laughed regretfully,  
"You never forget Rachel"  
Rachel moved her hands up to cover her face as she began to crumble. Steph moved over onto the sofa beside her, placing her hand on Rachel's trembling back.  
"But you do learn to move on… it takes time" she soothed, "but Rachel, you need to take the first steps"  
Rachel's teary face looked up into Steph's assured eyes, asking without words what those first steps were.  
"You need to talk to the police."


	28. Chapter 28

"I can't Steph" she responded, moving away slightly to look her colleague directly in the eyes. Steph looked at her, urging her to continue with an explanation. Rachel shook her head, averting her gaze to the floor.  
"I just can't... bring myself to do it" she whispered.  
"Which part of it can't you bring yourself to do?" Steph pushed.  
Rachel turned to her once again, her eyes conveying her fear, her confusion, her sadness... then she spoke, unleashing a statement which completely overwhelmed the both of them;  
"How can I put someone forward for punishment when I don't necessarily believe they have done anything wrong?"  
She shamefully averted her eyes and her hands moved to cover her face as she began to cry, the eventual admittance of her feelings too much to stand. Steph's own eyes filled with tears as she allowed the statement to resonate in her mind.  
"You don't mean that" she uttered trying to sound assured.  
"I do!" Rachel sobbed in return. She sniffed and moved her hands to the side of her face so her words were not muffled but her gaze still avoided Steph's.  
"Rachel, he hurt you" she spoke, her voice hoarse due to the painful constriction of her throat. Rachel turned to look at Steph once more:  
"He made a mistake" she retorted shaking her head sadly, "Haven't we all?" she concluded softly, referring to her own past.  
"No Rachel, you need to stop this, look at me!" she almost shouted as Rachel's hands moved to hide her face again. Rachel looked at her. "He raped you. Nothing you have done, or will ever do, gives anybody the right to violate you in that way, or in any other way for that matter!"  
Rachel shook her head, turning to look away from Steph. Steph grabbed her forearms, forcing her to face her directly, forcing her to face the truth that she was so terrified to accept.  
"You think that because of what you have done in the past, you somehow deserve this, or you don't deserve justice for what has happened? Well you're wrong" she spoke harshly, subconsciously hoping the louder and more forceful her words, the greater chance they had of getting through to Rachel. "I know it's embarrassing, I know you feel ashamed, I know you're reliving the whole thing every single day, retracing every single movement wondering if there was something you could have done differently to escape and then convincing yourself that you didn't do enough! You need to stop Rachel, because saying 'No' to him should have been enough, telling him that you didn't want him should have been enough for him to leave you alone but it wasn't. He beat the crap out of you and raped you and now you tell me that you don't think he deserves to be punished for that?" She paused, allowing herself a breath as Rachel remained transfixed, her body shaking, no longer concerned about the tears rolling down her cheeks. Steph continued,  
"You think that you triggered something in him to make him do this? You think he was as disgusted by your past as you are and that led him to do this?"  
Rachel didn't move to answer.  
"He used your past as an excuse Rachel, to convince you, and convince himself that he was doing nothing wrong... what excuse is he going to use on the next woman?"


	29. Chapter 29

Rachel had ascended the steps towards her bedroom upon her colleague's departure. Her face was red and tear-stained, her eyes heavy and wet. She climbed onto her double bed and slipped under the duvet. She was exhausted. Emotionally drained.

She didn't hear the key turn in the front door, she didn't hear Eddie call out her name, she didn't hear him climb the stairs in search of her after he received no response and she didn't feel the bed dip as he sat down beside her sleeping form. Steph had told Eddie everything. She'd relayed her visit to Rachel's house word for word. He stretched out his hand, gently brushing her hair from her face so he could look at her properly. He sighed heavily as he saw the tear tracks on her cheeks. He wished he could take away her pain. He knew he could never begin to comprehend the mixture of emotions Rachel was feeling. He knew she was ashamed of her past. And he knew that because of that shame, she assumed once people found out about her past life, they would find her as disgusting as she found herself. That's why she had moved away. That's why she had changed her name. She wanted to start over, she wanted a clean slate; she wanted to re-write history. And that's what she had done. She had become someone she was proud of; she had become someone she liked. She had become Rachel Mason. He hated whoever had done this. He hated this person for making Rachel doubt herself. He hated this person for making Rachel believe she deserved this; that she deserved this because of a past she had tried so desperately to distance herself from. In the same way she hated people knowing about her past, she hated people knowing about her attack. It was their knowledge alone which meant she had to admit it happened. If people didn't know, she could carry on as normal, she could push it from her mind and pretend that everything was fine… convince herself of it even. Eddie prayed Steph's words would get through to her. He leant forward, gently placing a kiss to her forehead, careful not to wake her. He headed to exit the room, turning to look at her once more as he slowly closed the door. He wished he could make her see how precious she was.


	30. Chapter 30

**He walked towards her calmly. She smiled at him politely.  
"I just wanted to have a chat with you."  
"Yeah? What about?" she asked reticently.  
He sighed deeply.  
"You're in a very nasty position now you know, Rachel… what you've done, what we know now" he shook his head at her disapprovingly.  
She looked away from his gaze shamefully.  
"I know…" She nodded. She looked back to him:  
"But I am willing to accept whatever happens from this point onwards"  
She tried to appear confident but the embarrassed blush of her cheeks betrayed the exterior she was trying to convey and revealed her true sentiment. He took note.  
"I have to talk to my staff" she furthered, "I have to talk to the LEA, the kids… and I will, today, I just want to discuss things with Mr Lawson first."  
"Is he on his way?"  
"Not yet, but he will be here soon."  
He nodded, his gaze never leaving her face.  
"I can help you, you know?"  
She narrowed her eyes, her expression questioning him,  
"Wha-"  
"I can help you keep your job" he interrupted. "I know how much this school means to you and I can make sure you don't have to give it up."  
Her expression remained fixed, confused.  
"But you have to do a little something for me first."  
He moved closer to her. She took a small step back, gently nudging the desk behind her. She eyed him nervously. He seemed different; the tone of his voice was new to her ears.  
"Wha- what do you mean?" she asked quietly, shaking her head.  
He reached one hand behind her head, pulling her towards him. He leant down, forcing his lips upon her. The other hand went round her back, holding her against him. She tried to pull away but he held her tight. She lifted her hands to his chest and pushed against him forcefully. He released her. She immediately moved away from her desk, towards her office window, widening the space between them. Her hands instinctively moved to her mouth.  
"What the hell do you think you're doing!?" she yelled, wiping her lips with the back of her hand.  
He didn't respond. He reviewed her. He was silent. His eyes were cold.  
She breathed heavily, watching him as he stared at her.  
He didn't understand. Why would she push him away? He gauged the expression on her face… what was it? Disgust? How could he possibly disgust her?  
She stood, unnerved. His demeanor scared her. The atmosphere was tense.  
He felt the anger rising in his system. She saw it in his eyes. He felt a hatred for the woman before him envelop his senses. She could sense a coil was about to snap. And then it did.  
He flew towards her, his right fist hurdling into her left cheek. She flew across the office hitting the ground heavily.**

She jumped awake. It had happened again. She sat up, her chest heaving, the now familiar feeling of perspiration clung to her skin. She leant against the headboard, pulling her knees up towards her chest. She looked towards the clock on the bedside table. It was 3am. She'd managed to sleep all the way through from late afternoon. She was still so tired. She rested her head against her knees. Steph's words resonated through her mind. Rachel thought he had done this to her and only her, she had been sure he wouldn't hurt anyone else the way he had hurt her, but what if she was wrong? What if Steph was right, what if he was capable of doing this to other women as well. She replayed her dream. His disposition had been unusual as soon as he had entered her office that day. She had known that there was something different about his manner as soon as he had spoken. She had been uncomfortable immediately. He knew what his intentions were before he had even arrived. He had been angered that she didn't give in to his initial advances. He had paid her a visit for one thing that morning, and he was going to make sure he got what he came for.  
She looked up. She threw her duvet aside, climbing from the warmth of her bed into the cool night air. She headed to Eddie's room. She had made a decision.


	31. Chapter 31

This is the final chapter, thanks for all the lovely reviews, hope you enjoy!!

She slowly opened the door to his room to find him sleeping. She sat down on his bed next to him and uttered his name softly. He stirred immediately, slightly taken aback to find Rachel looking down at him.  
"Rachel? What is it? Are you ok?" he asked as he raised himself up onto his elbows.  
She looked at him but didn't speak. She looked down at her hands and noticed for the first time that she was shaking.  
"Here" he said, as he moved along in the bed, pulling the covers aside for her to slide under beside him. She did. He put his left arm around her, holding her tightly as she lay beside him, resting her head to his chest. He could feel her shaking against him.  
"I'm going to the police Eddie" she spoke suddenly.  
He looked down at her. She turned her head to look up. Through the fear and through the tears glistening in her eyes, he saw a confidence. A small glimmer of determination he had been terrified would never resurface. He smiled down at her.  
"Okay" he nodded, not wanting to question her or push her, just accepting her decision with the same respect and understanding he always did. She smiled back at him.  
"Can I stay here… with you tonight… please?" she whispered sleepily.  
"Of course you can" He replied, pulling his right arm around her waist to hold her closer as she moved her head back to his chest. He slowly felt her relax as she drifted off to sleep against the rhythmic beat of his heart.

He lay with her in his arms. He was so proud of her. Amongst all of his anger, concern, regret and countless other emotions, he also felt a warmth every time Rachel allowed him to comfort her. She trusted him above everyone.  
He was honored.  
His heart ached for her.  
He adored her.  
She was going to be okay, he would make sure of it. They would get through this together. And he was going to ensure she didn't need a new name this time.  
He drifted into sleep.

**She stood in front of her desk with her back to the door. She had various pieces of paperwork laid out and was attempting to arrange them in some sort of order. She had come into work early. She hadn't been able to sleep all weekend. Stuart's words kept repeating through her mind. She was using the paperwork as a distraction, hoping to keep herself occupied until Eddie arrived. She knew he would be a little while yet but she wanted to talk to him. She didn't know what to do. She had worked endlessly to get to her position on her own merit, through hard work and determination. And now that had been destroyed. She was devastated. She knew she needed to talk to Eddie and try to put together some sort of coherent thought process. She heard the office door open and turned expecting to see her deputy.  
"Oh" she spoke, looking at her guest slightly surprised, "Sorry," she laughed nervously realizing her expression, "I wasn't expecting to see you until our meeting later on… can I help you Nigel?"  
He walked towards her calmly.**

Her eyes opened once again. She closed them again briefly but still saw him. His face vividly drawn into her consciousness. She focused on her surroundings to fully rouse herself from sleep and prevent the nightmare from unfolding once again… for tonight at least. She felt Eddies warm arms wrapped tightly around her waist. She had turned in her sleep and was now lay with her back against Eddie's front. She turned to face him, pulling herself up the bed slightly and moving her head so it rested on his pillow, her forehead just millimeters from his. She watched him for a moment before bringing her left hand up to the side of his head, running her fingers gently through his hair. She breathed him in, allowing the warmth and comfortableness she felt with him envelop her and overshadow the feelings her dreams evoked. She was so grateful to him. He hadn't forced her into talking when she hadn't wanted to. He hadn't pushed her into opening up to him when she wasn't ready. He had let her take full control. Something which was of huge importance to her considering the complete lack of control she had over the situation which had led them to this moment. And now she was ready.  
He was special.  
She trusted him.  
She adored him.  
She closed her eyes once again and for the third and final time that night, drifted into sleep.


End file.
